VESSELS UNTO HONOUR: PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE – RCCG THANKSGIVING SERVICE, 2ND APRIL, 2023.
RCCG APRIL 2023 THANKSGIVING SERVICE FEATURING SPECIAL FOR ARMY, POLICE, CHAPLAIN, NAVY, AIRFORCE, CIVIL DEFENSE AND OTHER INDIVIDUALS WORKING FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND THEIR FAMILIES
TOPIC: VESSELS UNTO HONOUR
MINISTERING: PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE
DATE: 2ND APRIL, 2023
BIBLE TEXT: 2 TIMOTHY 2: 20-21
Well, let Somebody shout Hallelujah – Hallelujah!
GENERAL PRAYERS
- A lot has happened in our Nation – it is by the Grace of God; the God who answers Prayers that Nigeria is not burning today.
So, I want us to lift up our Voices to the Almighty God and just bless His Holy Name and say: Father, we just want to Praise You, we want to give You all Glory, we want to give You Honour, we want to give You Adoration.
We say Thank You Almighty God – Thank You for Answered Prayers, Thank You for all You have done in the Past three (3) Months – We give You Glory, we give You Honour, we give You Adoration. Father, we are very, very Grateful, we Adore You, we Magnify Your Holy Name, we are Grateful Lord.
Thank You so so much for Your Mercy upon our Nation – Glory be to Your Holy Name. Thank You Ancient of Days, be Glorified forever.
In Jesus Mighty Name we have given Thanks – Amen.
- And then, there are some People in this Nation that we don’t give enough Credit to – The Soldiers, the Paramilitary and the Police.
Today, I want you to lift up your Voice to the Almighty God – Committing these Great Men and Women to the Hands of the Most High God.
And say: Father, these People has been taking care of us – Take care of them, take care of their families and let it be well with them.
Lift Up your Voice to the Almighty God and Pray for these People – The Soldiers, Paramilitary and Police.
In Jesus Mighty Name we have Prayed – Amen!
SONG
The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
Jehovah the Man of War
Your Mercy endureth forever and ever
Oh Praise His Holy Name
OPENING PRAYER
The God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob; Jehovah the Man of War, the Lord of Host, the One who has never lost a War – We Worship You.
Thank You for January, Thank You for February, Thank You for March and Lord, Thank You for April – Glory be to Your Holy Name.
The First Quarter of this Year is gone and by Your Grace, we are still here and we know that by Your Grace we will be here even by the end of the Year – Accept our Worship in Jesus Name.
Today, we are Committing Your “Very Special” People – The Military, the Paramilitary and the Police into Your Hands; Please Lord even as they watch over us, watch over them, take care of them, take care of their families, fight their battles for them, make them More Than Conqueror, Support them, Strengthen them, Protect them, Promote them and let it be well with them.
Anytime they cry to You – Particularly in times of Danger, answer them by Fire.
And Lord God Almighty, all Your Children who has been Faithful in the Payment of their Tithes and Giving of their Offerings; I Pray that this Month in Particular, You will surprise them, open Mighty Doors unto them. In a way that they will say: Is this not becoming “Too much”; Father embarass them with Your Blessings.
And Please Lord, Your Mercy over Nigeria; let it continue.
In Jesus Mighty Name we have Prayed – Anen!
Let Somebody shout Hallelujah – Hallelujah!
Shake hands with one (1) or two (2) People and say: You will continue to be a “Great Survivor” – Amen.
And then you may Please be seated?
Today, I have been asked to speak to us on a very, very important Topic – “VESSELS UNTO HONOUR”.
It is a very serious Topic – Probably because of the caliber of People we have among us today. I will try my best to cover the Topic but I won’t go too deep because it is a Serious Topic indeed!
2 Timothy 2:20-21:
- But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of Earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.
- If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.
In every house, you have dustbin – That is where you drop refuse, leftovers; you have brooms that you used to sweep the ground and then you have cutleries; you have Drinking Glasses; you have Vessels that never come near the Master of the House and then you have Vessels that you can find on the Dinning Table of the Master.
One is called “Vessels Unto Honour”; the other is “Vessels Unto Dishonour” – But they are all Vessels.
The Big Question this Morning is – What kind of Vessels will you like to be?
The answer should be between you and God.
And by the time I finished, you will Probably want to think again.
Let us look at the Advantages of being a “Vessel Unto Honour” before we talk about what it will caused you to be a “Vessel Unto Honour”.
Let us consider the Advantages of the spoon, the fork, the Drinking Glass on the Dinning Table – Shall we say of the President?
- One of the Advantages of being a Vessel Unto Honour is that the Master is constantly touching you.
For Example, you are the spoon in the Dinning Table of the Most High God, from time to time He touches you. And when God touches you, you get Strength that Human Beings cannot explain.
In 1 Kings 18:46; the Bible says that God laid His Hands on Elijah and he outran the Chariot of the King. He ran 6 Miles (Approximately 10Km) faster than the Chariots drawn by the best Horses in the Land.
I. When God touches you, you suddenly get Strength that Nobody can explain.
II. When God touches you, you get your Strength Renewed in a manner that will embarass others.
Some years ago, I took some of my children on what you will call a “Whirlwind Tour” of South America.
Today, we are in this Country – We arrive in the Morning, we hold a Crusade in the Evening, we returned home by 11pm and that is when we will break our Fast and we will get to bed around 1.00am. By 5.00am, I will Phoned them that it’s time for Morning Prayer so that we can get on our way by 6.00am to beat the Traffic because we are going to another Country and we are going to repeat the whole Process.
All the People with me are Younger than me by at least 20 years decided that they will gang up against me – They all put their Phone on Flight and so when I was calling them by 5.00am, all the Phones were sounding engaged.
I Pray for Somebody here today: God will lay His Hands on you – Amen!
And that Strength that Nobody will be able to explain will become your Portion – Amen.
- And there is something even more – And that is when the President or may be the Vice President, or Chief of Defense Staff or Inspector General of Police may be together to have a Lunch.
The Cup is on the Table, everything they are discussing the Cup is hearing.
When you are a Vessel unto Honour in the Hand of the Almighty God, you hear what is going on in Heavens!
If you are a Vessel Unto Honour in the Hands of the Almighty God, you will hear Conversations that Other People don’t hear. And some of these Conversations you can’t even share.
For Example, the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 12: 2-4 – It talks about a Man called Paul.
It says that I know a Man – Whether in the body, it says I don’t know; whether out of the body, I can’t really tell. But I know a Man who was taken to the Third Heavens and he heard words that cannot be spoken.
When you become a Vessel Unto Honour in the Hands of God, you hear things – You don’t belong to the Class of People who call themselves Prophets who Prophesy all kinds of Jokes – Thus saith the Lord, it is going to rain in June. June is a Rainy Season, you don’t need to Prophesy that.
One Propbet in Nigeria was Prophesying sometimes ago – 3 Nations are going to complete for Soccer. He said: Thus saith the Lord; if Nigeria will do this and that, they will win.
I Laughed – If God is going to tell you the Winner, He will tell you the Winner – Period! No Guess Work!
But when you are a Vessel Unto Honour, the Almighty God will tell you things that may atimes you find it difficult to repeat!
When Coronavirus was coming, the Lord just said that the whole world will be on Holidays – And I told you then.
How can the whole world be on Holiday? What will be happening? What is it that we will say that we are Celebrating?
Until the Lockdown came and you find the Streets of London empty, Streets of New York empty et cetera et cetera.
Now, I am not a Prophet but by God’s Grace I am a Vessel Unto Honour and I just want to tell Someone in Particular listening to me now or reading now on the Label of DMC – Thus saith the Lord, your Joy is about to begin (Amen).
- When you are a Vessel Unto Honour – Because you are at the Dinning Table of the Most High God, constantly He breathes on you.
I. Because He is breathing and you are Present and Part of His Breath will be coming on you.
In John 20: 21-23; the Bible tells us that when Jesus Christ came into the Room where the Apostles were gathered. He breathe on them and said: “Receive ye the Holy Spirit”.
II. When God breathes on you, things happen – It is as if the Holy Spirit come upon you suddenly.
For Example – In Judges 15: 14-15; the Bible says that the enemies saw Samson bound and then they began to rejoice. And suddenly, the Spirit of God came on Samson and all his Yokes were burnt as if by Fire. And then he got up, grabbed the Jawbone of Ass and he killed a thousand Men.
I have Good News for Someone here today or reading now on the Label of DMC – Someone who wants to be a Vessel Unto Honour; God will breathe on you and all the yokes binding your hands so that you have not been succeeding the way you ought to be, binding your legs so that you are not making the Progress that you should make. All these yokes will be broken today – Amen!
- But there is something even deeper still – I will just mention it and won’t discuss it deeper because this is Sunday Service and not a Solemn Assembly.
And this is that: If you are a Vessel Unto Honour; from time to time, God kisses you!
You say: No, that cannot be Possible.
In Numbers 12: 5-8; the Almighty God said that if I want to talk to a Prophet, I may show him a Dream or give him a Vision. But He said Moses is different – I talk to him (Moses) Mouth to Mouth.
I thought that God would have said: I talked to Moses Mouth to Ear – You know when you want to whisper to Somebody and you don’t want anybody to hear. You put your mouth near the ear and whisper.
God says No!
I can’t begin to tell you what happens when you get a kiss from God – I will leave that to the Holy Spirit to manifest that in the Life of Someone.
I will Pray that Someone will get a kiss from the Almighty God today and then you come and tell us the results.
But I can tell you this much – If you have ever received a kiss from the Most High God; from that moment onwards, you rule by Decrees. Everything you say come to Pass!
I will remind you of a Story very quickly – This is the Story of one of my son who came and said that I want a Big Post, I have applied and I want you to speak a Word so that the Interview will go well. I was going to Pray but he said No, just speak a Word!
So, I spoke a Word – The Interview will go well.
He went, Prepared very hard, got to the Place of Interview and went to the Boardroom.
When he got there, they asked him three (3) Questions:
I. What is your name? And he told them.
II. What do you say you want? He told them.
III. Then they asked him – When can you start?
So, he came rejoicing – Daddy, I got the job and I said Congratulations. He said No, speak another Word.
I said alright, I Pray that your Progress in that Place will be rapid – He say Amen.
The following day, he came back Trembling – What happened?
I reported for work and they sent me to the Boardroom, met the same People that were there the other day. And they said: Young Man, after you left our Managing Director resigned. Now, are you ready for the Post of the Managing Director?
So, he came back the following day Trembling. I said Congratulations and he said speak another Word.
I said alright, the God who started the Good Work in you will Perfect it and he said Amen.
He got to the Place of work the following day, they asked him to go to the Boardroom and he met same People there.
And the People said: Young Man, we have discovered why our Managing Director resigned. It is because they have given him a Higher Pay somewhere else. Now, we don’t want you to leave and so we Double your Salary.
And then he came back again and said: Daddy, speak another Word.
I said: Do you want to take the Company from the Owner?
I want to speak a Word to Somebody today or reading now on the Label of – Everything that you deserved from God, you will get it today (Amen).
Now, you can’t have all these benefits without Requirements!
In the Bible Text that we read, it talks about the Vessels Unto Honour – Gold, Silver; unlike Wood and Mud.
Anyone who is going to be a Vessel Unto Honour in the Hands of God ust be “Tough” – He must be Someone who can endure!
I’m sure that is why they choose this Special Day when we are having the Military, Paramilitary and Police with us.
In 2 Timothy 2:3; the Bible talks about enduring Hardness as a Good Soldier in Christ.
I wanted to be a Soldier; it was my mother who didn’t allow me.
When I told her that I wanted to join the Army after I Graduated, she said to me – You are my only son. I am not asking you not to join the Army, just wait till I die and you have buried me; then you can do whatever that you want. That was in the 1960’s.
By the time she died in the 1990’s, it was already too late for me to join the Army but I loved the Army.
Because I loved the Army, I watched every films and everything that has to do with the Army. And I’m telling you that I saw what Change the Civilian to the “Iron Man” – You see them in beautiful dresses, they look nice. Maybe you should check what goes on from the day they enlist into the Military till the day they begin to Match in Ceremonial Dress, then you will know what is called Hardness; you will know what is called Endurance.
Somebody said something along that in 1 Corinthians 9: 24-27 – Paul about about it: if you want to be a Winner, you must endure “Rigorous Self Discipline”
Like in 2 Corinthians 11 23 – One of the things mentioned is Fasting often.
You want to be a Vessel Unto Honour in the Hand of God, you will love Fasting more than you love food!
There are certain things every Vessels Unto Honour has in Common with others – Something you will find Present in every Soldiers, every Paramilitary Officers and every Police Officers:
- Instant Obedience.
Jesus Christ made it clear – You want to be a Vessel Unto Honour; fine John 15:14: You are my friends if you do whatsoever I Command you.
A Vessel Unto Honour obeys first – If you have any complain, you can complain later. That is if the complaint is allowed!
Those of you who are Officers; do you know that when your Senior Officer gives you a Command and you feel you should give a word; then you have to get Permission – You will say: Permission to speak sir!
And if that Senior Officer says: Permission Denied, that is the end of the Story.
And if there is anything that is lacking in the Life of any Christian – Why they are not Vessels Unto Honour; it is they don’t know how to obey!
For Example: The Lord gave us a Command at the beginning of the Year – He says that the Church must Double every three (3) Months.
It is not an Advice, it is a Command. And that Command I want to put it in a more Pleasant way for you – Everyone of us especially Members of The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in Particular; from this moment onwards, every Month you must win a Soul. It is an Order and not an Appeal!
It is an Order from our Commander-In-Chief!
… And you want to be a Vessel unto Honour, the first thing is Obedience!
And when God says: “Do” you do; “Don’t”, you don’t.
Why? – God knows the Future more than you do; He knows what is best for you.
And at times, God will give you a Command that is “Completely Unreasonable”. But don’t forget that He is the All-knowing God!
When I was Preparing this Sermon, I remembered an Occassiin that I went home on Holidays to my Village.
And when I got to the Village, in my own house; they Prepared Pounded Yam for me with a very Good “Combination Okro” Soup with Bush Meat. And I was not Fasting.
So, I Prayed – God bless this food. And I heard from God: Son, don’t eat!
I knew His Voice and so I can’t Pretend that I didn’t know who was speaking to me but I Pretended.
What could be wrong? This food is Prepared in my home, by my People, my best Meal, I’m on Holidays I’m not Fasting.
You know that God doesn’t repeat Himself when dealing with Vessels Unto Honour.
I ate and as soon as I finished eating, a Messenger came from my Elder Sister – You are wanted urgently. Your Elder Sister is dying, we heard that you are in Town and so come.
I followed them, got to my Elder Sister and I saw her covered from Head to Toe with Chicken Pox.
Oh, you don’t face Chicken Pox with a belly full of Pounded Yam!
I ran to the back of the house, put my hand into my throat and vomited the food and then came back to face the devil.
And God said that I warned you!
Is there anyone here today or reading now on the Label of DMC; who will say: God from now on, I will obey you?
- The Second Thing that is Common to all the Military, Paramilitary and Police is Submission to Authority – Total Surrender to Authority.
In the Military, if they asked you to Match forward and you decide to Match backwards, you might not even live to tell the Story!
God expects every Vessels Unto Honour in His Hands to be one hundred Percent (100%) Surrendered to Him!
Why? – Jeremiah 18: 1-6; God is a Porter, you are the Clay. He can make whatever He likes out of you.
If you will Surrender to Him, He will make you a Vessel Unto Honour out of you. You don’t Surrender, He will make you another Vessel.
Years ago, I Preached a Sermon called – “Seeing The Invincible”. It will be a Good Idea if you can get the Tape.
DMC NOTES: Watch Out for the Full Text Transcript of this Message Only on the Label of DMC!
And I gave an illustration – I said that a Sculptor will look at a log of wood just as we all see it. But the Sculptor can see a Lion inside that log of wood.
So, he takes his chisel and hammered and began to cut a little wood from here, a little wood from there.
And very soon, you see the head of the Lion appearing. So you say that this is in the wood.
And then he keeps going – Occasionally and strike a Piece of wood and it will split into two because there is a fault in the wood.
And he will look at it and say – This wood, what is wrong with you? I want to make you a Lion and now you have broken into two. Okay, if you can’t be a Lion, you can still be a Cat.
And then he keeps working again to make a Cat out of what would have been a Lion.
And then another stroke and the thing splitted into two again – Ha, Ha; what is wrong with you this wood? Well, if you can’t be a Cat, maybe we can make a Rat out of you.
And he keeps working and working and then the thing split into two again.
And he says: If you don’t want to be a Lion, you don’t want to be a Cat, you can’t be a Rat; then you can be a Firewood.
I think it sounds like Proverbs – And I hope Somebody understands!
If you are not one hundred Percent (100%) Surrendered to God; if God says: “This is the way I want you to go and you say that I want to go my own way; you might end up where you don’t want to be!
Let me Conclude – Do you want to be a Vessel Unto Honour?
- Mathew 11: 28-30 – Jesus Christ said: Come unto me, I will take away all the Burdens that you are carrying.
But He says immediately – You must take my yoke upon you!
When the Evangelist wants to talk to you – Because he wants to talk sweet so that you could give your Life to Jesus Christ; He will say: Come to Jesus Christ, from now on, everything will be “Hunky Dory”.
DMC NOTES: “Hunky Dory” means “Very Satisfactory and Pleasant”.
- When you come to Jesus Christ, you are coming under a New Master!
When you are in the world, living with the devil; you can do what you like – You can be drunk, you can keep Late Nights; the devil doesn’t care because he has gotten you and when he wants to use you, he will use you.
- When you come to Jesus Christ, a Life of Discipline begins!
You want to be a Vessel Unto Honour, then you have to be one hundred Percent (100%) Surrender.
If you can’t Surrender Totally, no Problem. Jesus Christ is not compelling anybody to come!
He says: Behold I Stand by the Door and I Knock; if you want to open the Door, I will come in. If you don’t, then it is up to you.
But if you Surrender to Jesus Christ, the moment you invite Him to come into your Life; He takes over!
A friend of mine when I asked him to give his Life to Jesus Christ said: Thank You, wait till I am Old. I want to enjoy myself first. Because the moment I Surrender, I know that there are Rules and Regulations.
You used to be a Vessel Unto Honour – God was using you, you knew it, you are hearing His Voice, Feeling His Breathe on you, He was touching you. And then, you messed up.
If the Master is eating and all of a sudden, an accident happened and the fork drops to the Ground. For the fork to come back to the Master’s Table; it will have to undergo serious Cleanimg.
You are a Backslider, you want to come back and become a Vessel Unto Honour again; God will cleanse you but it is by Fire – Malachi 3:2.
That is why those of you who by the Grace of God are Vessels Unto Honour in His Hands are afraid of Backsliding!
In the Army of the Almighty God – There is no room for Nothingness, no room for any kind of Floppiness. You have to be Sharp all the time.
- You are a Vessel Unto Honour and you want to remain a Vessel Unto Honour all the time.
2 Timothy 4:2 says: You have to be Instant in Season and Out of Season.
In another way, they say: The Voice of Safety is “Unresting Vigilance” – You want to be a Vessel Unto Honour, all the days of your Life, you must Understand that the Bible says that you must Pray without Ceasing. You must be on your toe 24/7.
Ask the Military, ask the Paramilitary, ask the Policeman and they will tell you – Wherever you are Posted to, you are there at the moment at the Pleasure of your Commander.
Like one of my friends told me – When they say that you are Transferred to some Place, you don’t unpack all your loads because you could be asked to be here today and somehow by tomorrow; Signal come from above. Instantly, you are on the Move.
… That is the way it should be for Vessel Unto Honour!
So, I thank God for all my Brothers and Sisters – The Military, Paramilitary and Police here today. You are a very Good Example of Vessels Unto Honour and you will remained Vessels Unto Honour forever.
I want to tell you one thing – If Nobody is Praying for you, I am because I appreciate your Value because I know what you Stand for.
it is my Prayer that you will remain Vessels Unto Honour forever – Amen.
As for those of you who are Civilians but now want to join the Army of the Lord, we want to be Vessels Unto Honour in the Hands of the Most High God; if you have not given your Life to Jesus Christ before and you want to do so today.
I have told you before that if you come to Him, all things must become New. You can’t live any kind of Life you want anymore. The moment you give your Life to Jesus Christ, He will take over.
But one thing is certain – If you are a Vessel Unto Honour in His Hands, He will Protect you.
The Protection that the President will give to his favourite cups, favourite cutleries is not the same thing that he will give to the dustbin.
Let me tell you Brethrens – There are Great Days ahead; only for the Vessels Unto Honour.
ALTAR CALL
So, if there is anyone here this Morning or reading now on the Label of DMC and you have heard me or read now – And you say that this might be a bit tough but it is the Truth.
If you have heard the Truth now and you want to stop “Playing Church”; you want to surrender your Life absolutely to the Commander-In-Chief of All the Hosts in Heaven and on Earth and you want to be a Vessel Unto Honour in His Hands; come now as the Lord is calling you!
He will take you and wash you in His Blood and the Journey to become Vessels Unto Honour will begin.
Now, those of us who has come forward, let us talk to the Almighty God – I am serious now, I am surrendering one hundred Percent (100%) to You. I will do Your Will from now on – Just safe my Soul, wash me Clean and I will serve You all the days of my Life.
And the rest of us – Please stretch your hands towards these “Precious People” and intercede for them. That the Almighty God who saved our Soul will save their Souls also.
Pray that the Almighty God will receive them, wash them Clean so that they can become Vessels Unto Honour in His Hands.
Thank You Father. Glory be to God. In Jesus Mighty Name we have Prayed – Amen.
PRAYER FOR SALVATION
My Father and my God, I just want to say Thank You – Thank You for Your Words and Thank You for those People who has decided that they want to surrender their lives to You.
Father, Please receive them, save their Souls, wash them Clean in Your Blood and Lord write their names in the Book of Life, let them become Mighty Vessels Unto Honour in Your Hands.
And I Pray Lord God Almighty that from now on, anytime they call on You, You will answer them by Fire.
Thank You Almighty God. In Jesus Mighty Name we have Prayed – Amen.
Praise the Lord – Hallelujah!
The rest of us, are we ready to Pray?
Stand on your feet and shout a “Military Hallelujah” – Hallelujah!
I want you to lift your Voice to the Almighty God and say: Father, I will
be Vessels Unto Honour all the days of my Life. Father, use me for Your Glory.
Go ahead and talk to the Almighty God!
Thank you so much for staying all through to read.
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